December 2012 - Catching up but still late

We're still late catching up with blog posts and sorting through the hundreds of photos that we take each month.  This post will complete 2012 events/photos and we'll eventually get around to posting more recent (2013) posts!

Photos in this post are from Christmas time (a few weeks before and Christmas Day) and a visit to the zoo during the Christmas break.

Enjoying hot cocoa (and a lollipop) on a cold evening a few days before Christmas

Mom and Maddie bundled up waiting for the Christmas train ride

Luke shows Mimi his toy plane

Luke in his spaceship on Christmas morning

All smiles on Christmas morning

Dad and Luke working on a puzzle

Luke doesn't waste any time trying his new trampoline

Maddie opens a persent from Dad... or is it a present FOR Dad?

Luke giggles at the monkeys



Silly monkeys are fun to watch

Mom and Maddie meet a kangaroo (or wallaby?)

Luke stay close to Dad... these goats are big!

Mom and Luke see an animal

Zoos have playgrounds too!

Luke and Sissy

Maddie pets Mama and baby goats

Maddie and Mom pose for a photo

October 2012- Better Late Than Never!

I'm late catching up on my blog posts... have tons of photos to post and getting more every week.  This batch of photos is from October 2012.  October is always a busy month for us with a camping trip (Camping 2012), our annual visit to the pumpkin patch, Halloween (of course!), and sometimes a travel vacation (Charlotte 2012).  Enjoy some moments from our pumpkin patch visit and Halloween 2012!

Luke finds the pumpkin he wants... now if he could just pick it up!

Forget the pumpkins... this dirt is much more interesting.

Maddie gets a ride on Dad's back

Luke wants a ride too...

Carving the jack-o-lantern the night before Halloween

Luke inspects Maddie's pumpkin clean out

Maddie tries to look scary... she's just too cute.

Cheese!  Luke (a.k.a. Thomas the Train) really just wants to be left alone to enjoy his lollipop!

The neighborhood kids gather before the trick or treating starts

Camping October 2012

Once again this past October we continued our annual group camping tradition with some close family friends (see posts for Camping 2010 and Camping 2011).  This year Maddie and Mom joined Dad and Luke in a cabin... which was a really good idea since the first night of the camping weekend was cold and rainy.  Our friends who slept in tents had a pretty miserable first night, but we slept cozy and warm!  The rest of the weekend was beautiful weather and lots of fun.

Kids pose with the traditional camping stick that everyone signs



Luke combs his hair with a sand shovel...hey, we're camping...

Luke and Dad get ready to eat lunch

Maddie and friends sitting on a tree branch

Luke and Mom take a break from playing catch to pose for a picture

Maddie and Luke with their camping journals

The whole crew... 6 kids all looking directly at the camera!

Girlfriends

Going fishing

Luke enjoys some time in the dirt with the toys

Luke pulls Dad in the wagon... sort of

When the sun goes down... the dance party starts!

What else is there to do with the extra worms after fishing?

Luke gives Dad a big camping hug

Although we added an extra day to our camping trip this year, the time still went by too fast.  Next year we're all going back into the tent, which will be Luke's first "real" camping weekend.  Now that Luke is getting older, we can start camping more frequently... we can hardly wait!

Charlotte, NC - 2012

In early October we spent a week in Charlotte, NC.  The kids were able to visit with Uncle Jim, Aunt Holly, Uncle Chip, Aunt Sandy, and Mimi!  We had a busy schedule for the week.  In addition to visiting with relatives, we made trips to the children's science museum, the US National Whitewater Center, a local animal preserve/petting zoo and of course we stayed several days at the Great Wolf Lodge (our favorite hotel)!  Mimi was a real sport and came along with us on all of our outings during the week, which we really enjoyed (although I think we wore her out). 

It had been two years since we had visited Charlotte and we remembered that on our previous visit, Luke was just a few months old.  He has grown up so much since our last visit.  Both kids did great and had a lots of fun.  It was a fantastic trip, and although we don't currently have plans for a return visit in the near future, we love Charlotte so much that I can't imagine we won't return sometime soon!



Luke shows Mimi his favorite iPad apps

Luke and Mimi take a break... Luke needs a smile app!

Maddie and Mimi share a smile

Maddie has fun on the ropes course

Luke gets some love from Maddie... and he loves it!

Luke rides on Dad's shoulders

Mom and Maddie flatwater kayak

Maddie and Dad on the ropes course

Dad and Maddie conquer the ropes course

Luke and Mom enjoy the forest

Ahhhh....

Uncle Jim with Luke and Maddie

Aunt Holly and Maddie with brownie masterpiece

Three generations photo

Uncle Jim and Luke practice a counting game on the iPad... count Uncle Jim!

Mimi and Luke see some fish

Luke and Maddie doing their best scary bear impressions

Dad and Luke feed some hungy sheep



Luke topples Mimi's block tower



Abra-cadabra - MagiQuest at the hotel is SO much fun

Wolf kids show their smiles (or fangs)